Monday, July 12, 2010

Does anyone know of any fiber artists that have recently been published in a National Beer Magazine? I do, I do..........................ME!!! :)

Recently, I was contacted by the editor of Draft Magazine to see if I was interested in sending them some of my repurposed "beer art" to be professionally photographed for their next issue (as you can see, they chose to feature my luggage tags). I jumped at the chance................to have my art published in a National Beer magazine (my other true love) I'm on cloud 9 & still haven't come down yet!!

I've always viewed brewers as artists, refining & crafting their recipes & techniques to create a product that people will want & enjoy (what every other artist strives to achieve!) I've always wanted to work in some aspect of the brewing industry, but haven't researched what's all available for a person with no home brewing experience. The thought of home brewing has never seemed as appealing as brewing in a brewery with all of the beautiful metal beer tanks & working with others that share a common interest.............beer & another reason I haven't considered home brewing is if I take on one more interest, my DH will kill me!! :)

Wow!!! The thought of working in the beer industry & being able to create my art................................sigh!!!!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

I am VERY fortunate that I live in the Pacific NW for many reasons, but high on the list is the HUGE amount of brewers that brew FABULOUS beers!!

Deschutes Brewery Wallet

Not only do I have the endless opportunities to sample great beer, but also to create repurposed art from the colorful labels on those beer bottles!!

Bridgeport Brewing Hop Czar Wallet

Ninkasi Brewery luggage tags & wallet

For you Ninkasi lovers, I spoke with Jamie(one of the fabulous brewers) & I have GREAT hopes of acquiring some Maiden the Shade labels :)

Rogue Dead Guy wallets & lanyard

I have been fortunate in working with some brewers in obtaining beer labels, others (mainly) are from bottles of beer that I've either purchased or have received from wonderful friends!!

Widmer Drifter Pale Ale wallet & luggage tag

Elysian, The Immortal IPA wallet

And yes, I have been known to buy beers just because the labels looked cool & I have to say, I haven't been disappointed yet :)

You can find my work in my Etsy shop & if you live locally in the Seattle area, Reconstructed Clothing Co now carries my repurposed "beer label" art. If you want something that you don't see in either place, feel free to convo with me. One person from Nashville, Tennessee who's favorite brewery in Nashville, Yazoo Brewing, sent me labels from their beers to make luggage tags for her & her husband. (LOVE the colors!)

The only sad thing is that some brewers either haven't started bottling yet because their in-house sales are so fabulous (Black Raven Brewing) that they can hardly keep up with demand OR they package into aluminum cans, which I have used before in luggage tags. The main two problems I run into with creating my repurposed art from aluminum cans.................they don't lay as flat as I would like & I can really only use them in my luggage tags. With my wallets & journals, there is constant bending of the materials & I'm afraid, the aluminum would eventually crack.

Have I gotten tired of any of this? NO!! I LOVE creating this art. Check back either later this week or early next week, I'll be posting about my HUGE order that I received from Deschutes Brewery!!

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About Me

I'm a mixed media artist creating unique handmade items from upcycled trash, while slowly trying to reduce the impact of environmental waste. I'm also a fiber artist that hand dyes environmentally friendly fabrics which I use in my work (such as bamboo & organic cotton).